let it burn
by alienlatte
Summary: an undercover mission goes wrong and they must deal with the aftermath. a todomomo fanfic, slow-ish burn. rated m for mentions of violence and assault.
1. Chapter 1

Caution: trigger warnings ahead! Violence and sexual assault mentions!

It all started with a bad feeling.

She could remember the nerves dancing beneath her skin, heart hammering against the cage of her chest. Her body trembled and she bit at her lower lip. Her mind registered a slight metallic taste yet she had more important things to worry about. This was her first undercover mission as a pro hero. Sure, she had been doing multiple missions since she broke out onto the scene after graduating from UA but this was different.

Momo Yaoyorozu had never been nervous about missions before but this one... It shook her to her core for some reason. Perhaps it was because it was her idea in the first place. She had petitioned to go undercover to catch a villain that was wanted for horrible crimes against women. His track record included various degrees of assault and murder, showing a clear type of dark haired women. Naturally she had believed that if she could just restrain him then her partners could do the rest. After all, she was going to be the bait. Her agency had paired her with two of her good friends, Shouto Todoroki and Kyoka Jirou. Together, they would bring this villain to justice.

At least, that was the plan.

Now she knew that things never go according to plan.

The nerves that shook her body had turned to cold dread as soon as she was alone with him. That hollow look in his eyes alone sent a shudder down her spine yet at the time she had merely just swallowed it back with a shot and a smile. She was going to be fine in a crowded bar with Todoroki and Jirou just outside listening for any indication that things were heading south. She knew they had her back if things took a turn. Yet she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, just moments before he had asked her to go someplace quieter. Naturally she had assumed he just meant outside in the back alley but he had different plans.

That was how she found herself gagged and tied to a chair, a wound on her forehead oozing sticky blood down the side of her face. In the back of her mind, she knew the layout of this bar. She had known there was a basement beneath it but to think that was where he carried out his heinous crimes... It had truly never occurred to her. Thinking about it now, it truly was the perfect place to go undetected. Upstairs was a noisy bar filled with brawls and loud voices. No one would hear her scream with such a commotion. Jirou would, but would it be too late? The sudden urge to vomit bit at her throat and she attempted to swallow it down, forcing herself to not think in that manner. They would never let anything happen to her... Right?

A sickening crack erupted from her skin and the surge of searing pain dragged her from her mind with a muffled scream. He had taken various objects to her body, trying to decide which one made her squirm the most. The recent one, a metal bat, had shattered against her ribs. It was hard to breathe through the onslaught of pain and she tried to keep herself from moving too much. _Don't give him the satisfaction, Momo._

He certainly didn't like that.

The next weapon he revealed glittered in the low lights on the ceiling. His teeth reflected off the blade, pulled into a sick smile at the mere sight of the sharp edge. A long jagged knife was his next choice and part of her knew it was because he was growing impatient. The pictures of his latest victim had 30 stab wounds littering her battered body. Momo had studied the picture well, after all, in an attempt to figure out exactly what kind of blade he had used. She never thought she would find out first hand.

The scream that escaped her body at the first cut drowned out the noise upstairs. He twisted the blade in her thigh, grinning madly at her sounds. "That's more like it." Even his voice scared her. A low guttural sound, almost feral in nature. She tried to fight off the shudder that wracked her body but it was no use. He had already seen it. Shit. His body drew closer as he yanked the knife from her skin, blood trickling out steadily without the buffer from the outside world. Another cut, another scream, another grunt of excitement from the man before her, more bile rising in her throat. At some point he had stopped cutting at her skin in favor of slashing her costume from her frame. Shreds of sticky red fabric clung to the floor, the rest hanging in tatters at her waist. Only then did she know what was really coming...

"N-No..." she breathed against the piece of cloth tied to her mouth. If she could just create something, anything.. No, she was too disoriented, too sluggish in this state. She definitely had a concussion from the blow he delivered to her head when he first lured her down here. Damn it. She should have tried to convince him to go somewhere else. Damn it.

"Scream for me."

And oh, did he force her to.

—

She tried to retreat to the deepest corners of her mind during his assault but nothing could mask the pain she felt. The sensations of his disgusting body ravishing hers, his knife still cutting away at her skin in his sick way of foreplay. Her screams drowned out any noises he was making. They rung in her ears, desperate cries for help that seemed futile after a while. At some point she had blacked out from the sheer agony of it all only to wake when it was done, when he had taken everything from her. Her mind was shattered, her body broken and sliced to pieces, dripping with crimson blood from head to toe. His laughter filled the room then and the urge to vomit had returned once more. Her stomach turned at the sound of such a sinister thing. How could he laugh? How could he enjoy this? Tears had begun running down her face, although at what point she could not be sure. All she knew, however, was that this was how she would die: at the hands of this horrible man.

Momo closed her eyes and waited as his footsteps echoed in her ears. He was getting closer. This was it. She was going to die in this basement, cut and beaten to shreds. There was no avoiding it now, there was no rescue coming. Todoroki and Jirou had abandoned her, that must was painstakingly clear now. They must still be under the impression that she was upstairs in the company of a crowded bar. How foolish. What was she thinking. Her stupid plan was going to get her killed right here and now.

Another blade cut across her body, slicing at her waist. Another scream erupted from her exhausted body. It wasn't nearly as loud as he wanted but she had no fight left, everything having already been drained from the wounds that littered her frame. She felt him draw the knife against her neck then, tilting her head back for a better angle. He stood behind her now with his hot breath fanning against her clavicle.

"You can do better than that. I'm not done yet."

A whimper escaped from her mouth as he pressed the blade closer. Her chest heaved while she struggled against the rope at her hands and feet. No this can't be happening. No. No. NO.

It seemed to happen in slow motion then.

At first, all she could smell was blood and then suddenly the overwhelming scent of smoke filled her nostrils. The knife dropped in her lap, a small gash left against her neck from where it had been pressed. The villain's breath left her neck and shouting filled her ears. Momo could barely make out the words but she would recognize that voice anywhere.

Todoroki.

Gentle hands fumbled with the ropes against her skin as a sickening crack filled the room. She caught a glimpse of the red and white haired man land a staggering blow to the villain's jaw before her body slumped forward, nearly falling from the chair. Small arms encircled her body and pulled her closer as she felt darkness creeping up on her mind. The last thing she heard was Jirou's hysterical sobs in her ears and the sound of crackling flames before everything faded into nothingness.

—

"What the hell did you do?!"

Momo's eyelids fluttered at the noise, that familiar voice slowly drawing her sluggish mind out of its slumber. The first thing she saw, however, was blinding light. A variety of faces followed once her black eyes had adjusted properly to the sudden onslaught of brightness. She recognized them all as her closest friends and even their supervisor, who's voice had caused the room to fall into silence. Her gaze drifted between them all, from Jirou at her left all the way to Todoroki at her right. Iida and Midoriya stood at the foot of her bed looking awkward that the scene that seemed to be unfolding in her hospital room.

"We saved her. That bastard is gone and she's safe." The barely calm voice came from her right. Todoroki. A range of emotions simmered in his words, barely contained by the fire and ice user. A scoff filled the room and she felt the temperature suddenly rise.

"She was half dead when you brought her in. How could you let that happen in the first place, Todoroki?" It grew hotter by the second at that statement and she fought back the urge to squirm beneath her covers. No, don't do that. That's what he wants.

"You try hearing through an entire bar full of drunk assholes." Jirou had fired back at her left, her voice ringing in the creation hero's ears. A soft groan escaped her lips, then, and her eyes fluttered shut at the pain that swallowed her head. Silence followed her noise and a cold hand immediately gripped at her right hand. Momo's eyes ripped open at that, a whimper falling from her bruised lips at the contact. Despite the agonizing pain that engulfed her body, she scrambled to yank her hand away.

"Shh, Yaomomo, it's just Todoroki. It's okay..." Another whimper came tumbling from her mouth and she could feel the tears already dripping down her cheeks. Jirou had tried to soothe the girl with her voice alone but it was just not enough. Nothing was. The bruises and bandages that covered her body were a testament to that. Nothing could change what had happened to her, not even the touch of the man that held her heart.

"Why don't we let Yaoyorozu rest? We can come back later," Midoriya's soft voice took over the silence that had fallen on the room. She glanced up to see his sheepish smile before noticing Iida nodding beside him. Jirou sighed at her left, clearly still worried about her friend, but she didn't argue. Instead she drifted toward the door with her eyes on the floor. Their boss strolled to her side and as he whispered something to Jirou, his eyes never left Todoroki. The red and white haired man lingered at her side. Unmoving, a statue of torment, his eyes bloodshot from tears she never knew he could shed.

"Todoroki."

He growled at Iida's voice and stalked away from the bed, a child throwing a tantum at being told to go home. Part of her didn't want him to go, didn't want to be left alone again. She couldn't handle the suffocation, however, and his gaze alone set her on fire. Embarrassment and shame mingled beneath her skin and she felt the strange urge to scratch at it until she bled. It crawled and itched and burned and she couldn't stand the dirty feeling. She could still feel the blood caked to her frame, cuts oozing in streams, bruises blossoming like flowers of black and navy. No matter how many showers she would later take, she would never be able to shake that feeling.

The door clicked shut after her friends bid her a quiet farewell and with a heavy sigh, she settled into the stiff bed and sleep welcomed her with gentle arms.

—

Shouto Todoroki had always had a strong control over his emotions. His father had engraved it into his mind that they were weak, feeble things for lesser beings. Never for the son of Endeavor. Yet now, as he stood there getting his ass chewed out by their boss, he was having an extremely hard time not bursting into flames.

"It's over. Leave it." He pushed out through gritted teeth, heterochromatic eyes narrowed into slits. His voice was low, a borderline growl that everyone flinched at. His boss even slowly inched away at his words.

"You have to answer to what you did, Todoroki. You cannot just kill a villain and get away with it. We have a code to follow," sighed the older man. He pinched the bridge of his nose out of stress, eyes never leaving Todoroki's frame. "I... I'll talk to the police and we'll go from there okay?" The icy hot hero merely nodded, too angry to dare open his mouth again.

Midoriya and Iida had already wandered off with Jirou to get drinks, noticing the headphone jack woman was still visibly shaken from what had happened. They left him alone with their boss and while he appreciated the distance they were giving him, he would have appreciated some backup. No matter, the older man was turning to leave him alone anyway.

"Oh, by the way," he paused at the man's softer voice. "I know it's bad, what you did, but I'm proud of you. The son of a bitch deserved everything you handed to him." The ghost of a smile crept at his lips before he bid Todoroki farewell with a slight wave and disappeared down the hall. With a sigh, the man ruffled his dual colored hair. This had been taking its toll on him. Seeing Yaoyorozu in that state, blood dripping from her entire body... Well it was enough to warrant his reaction. Part of him couldn't even remember the exact details of his fight with that villain but he knew he had smothered the life from the heinous man. He had rained fire and ice upon the heathen with no remorse, a blind rage controlling his body. Jirou had taken Yaoyorozu from the room at that point, screaming for an ambulance at whoever crossed her path. He could hear the commotion upstairs as screams mingled with Jirou's desperate cries but he knew in that moment that the headphone jack girl had their friend safe from further harm. He also knew that she was no longer around to stop him from losing control and thus, he had ripped through the man's body with pillars of ice. Fresh blood mingled with the dried crimson stains on the floor and a mangled scream battered against his eardrums. Nothing could prevent what had happened next, not even the whimpers for mercy.

No, Todoroki had burned him alive atop an icy skewer.

Shaking his head, he gripped the wall before him. His breath came out in shallow waves and heat flared from his left side as anger once again overtook him. Damn it. Get a grip. It's over. He continued to remind himself yet he just couldn't get the image of Yaoyorozu's limp body out of his mind. It was burned into his eyelids every time they shut, a constant reminder of his stupidity. He should have been in there with her. He shouldn't have left her alone to face that man. No... She had wanted to prove herself, prove that she could handle her own. Stupid stupid stupid. He should have known better than to stay outside, than to not keep a watchful eye on the dark haired girl as she carried out her plan.

"Um, sir..?"

His head whipped around at the sound of a new voice, eyes wide. Oh. It was just a nurse. He let out a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding before stepping back from the wall, sheepishly catching a glimpse of a charred spot from where his left hand had been.

"Yes? Sorry..." His right hand drifted to the nape of his neck and rubbed awkwardly at the skin. The nurse merely offered an understanding smile and gestured toward the room he had previously been in.

"She's awake again if you wanted to check up on her!" The girl's soothing voice calmed him a little and he nodded eagerly. It had been over an hour since the group had left Yaoyorozu and he couldn't bring himself to leave after seeing her awake and moving. Plus... he didn't want her to be alone. Despite killing the villain with his own hands, uneasiness still bubbled in his veins at the thought of the ponytailed girl being by herself. Shouto Todoroki bid the nurse farewell with a soft thanks before gently opening the door and slipping back into the hospital room.

Momo Yaoyorozu looked every inch as tired as he felt. Her eyes were still closed and he could hear her sharp breaths, hands gripping the blanket atop her with such strength he was sure she would rupture a few blood vessels. Swallowing, he stepped closer to the bed.

"Yaoyorozu..?" His voice was uncertain, weak, everything he was trained not to be. Her body tensed at the sudden voice and a soft whimper passed her lips as those dark eyes blinked open. Todoroki could see the fear gripping her body with cold fingers. It was apparent in the way her body trembled, hands shoved beneath the blanket to keep him from seeing. Even in this state, she was still embarrassed at her emotions.

"I... Uh... Hi," she mumbled, a soft blush flourishing against pale cheeks. "I thought you left." The statement caused his own cheeks to be dusted pink as he took the chair beside her bed.

"Uh, no... I thought I'd check back on you before I went home." He saw the faintest of smiles on her lips before it vanished into her teeth yanking at her bottom lip.

"Oh... I see." Yaoyorozu lowered her eyes to where her hands rested beneath the blanket.

Silence overtook them then, the creation hero avoiding the worried gaze of Todoroki as the minutes passed. Personally he wouldn't normally mind the silence but now? There was too much to say, too much to ask.

"Yaoyorozu?" Her head snapped up at her name, a blank expression on her bandaged face. "I'm glad you're safe now." His voice was gentle, almost soothing to the girl who visibly relaxed a bit at the words. The faint smile from earlier had returned to her lips and it stayed for a few moments as she tried to bow. He watched her face scrunch with agony and a sharp hiss of air escape her lips. Her body straightened and the grimance of pain left her features to give way to a sheepish look.

"T-Thank you," she breathed around the pain and he nodded, letting the silence settle again after her words faded from the air.

It felt like an hour had passed between them when she finally found the courage to speak again. Hollow eyes found his and as he raised an eyebrow, they quickly left his to find solace in the floor.

"Is he... d-did you guys get him..?" Yaoyorozu squirmed in her bed, the feeling of crawling beneath her skin rising again. The idea of the villain caused the temperature to climb as anger simmered in the icy-hot hero. His eyes stayed trained on the woman before him as he hissed out a sentence she had certainly not been expecting.

"No. I killed him."

Notes • Readers beware: trigger warnings! Mentions of sexual assault and violence, you may skip parts if it is too much! Also, henlo everyone! This is my first todomomo fanfic and I'm super excited to share it with you guys~ It's been a while since I've written anything so please bare with me if the writing is a bit bad or if there are a ton of errors! I hope you guys like this story and I'll see you all next chapter 3


	2. Chapter 2

Relief flooded her body at his words. The villain was gone, although she hadn't been expecting that exact response. Todoroki had killed him. Part of her was thankful that it was over but the other half... Well, she was worried. She knew it was not an easy thing to do, to take someone's life with your own abilities. Thankfully she had never gone that far but to know that he had was a bit terrifying. What would happen to his mind? Did he even feel remorse..?

"I..." She glanced away under his intense gaze, suddenly very self-conscious. Her hands fiddled with the bandages that covered her waist. They almost burned against the crawling sensation that took residence in her skin.

"You're safe, Yaoyorozu."

His words caused her hands to pause and as she looked out the window, her lips tugged upward just a hint before the smile was gone. A fleeting memory on her face soon replaced with a sigh. She could still feel his eyes on her, tracing her body, tongue rolling over his lips in appreciation. The crawling was worse now. Her fingernails danced down her arms, running over bruises and hidden stitches, straching desperately to rid herself of the sensation. She was so focused on the sensation that she didn't realize the icy hot hero was still sitting beside her bed, a look of worry across handsome features.

Todoroki fought back the urge to place a gentle hand against her bicep. The black haired girl continued to draw into herself, lost in memories of the evil she experienced. If only he could just pull her out, keep her from feeling that way ever again. He knew, however, that she would only retreat further at his touch. After all she had been through it was no wonder she couldn't even handle his hand on hers earlier. His teeth caught his lower lip in a slight nibble as she began to tear at the bandages holding her wounds safe from the outside world. The nurses would be mad... He couldn't bring himself to touch her, however, and opted for trying to distract her instead.

"Hey, Yaoyorozu?" She slowed at his words, glancing back at him as her pale hands rested against a wrapping on her thigh. "I'm surprised your parents aren't here yet.." Her eyes lowered then and he immediately cursed at himself for even bringing them up.

"The nurse said they were here when I was first brought in," she angled her body away from him, choosing to face the sunlight streaming into her window instead. "I... I guess it's been days." Oh... No one had told her that she was comatose for three days since the accident. He could have sworn that the doctor told their boss that she would inform her once she awoke.

"Yeah," he rubbed at his neck awkwardly. "The doctor said your body needed more time to recover after... Well, you know..." _Damn it, Todoroki. You're gonna upset her!_ His eyes watched her closely, looking for any signs to stop talking. "The police came by the second day, too, but you..." he swallowed, suddenly finding it hard to speak. "You weren't showing signs of waking up." His voice faded at the end, his words becoming nothing more than a whisper. He had already been through the whole situation a few times with the investigating officers, already explained countless times that he had lost any ounce of control he had in that moment. Seeing her so broken and bloody... Well, he never wanted to see that again.

"Oh..." Yaoyorozu glanced his way, then, a hint of worry glittering in those dark eyes. "Did... Did they charge you..?" Her voice was soft. He had to lean closer to even hear her, the words almost lost to the construction that had begun outside. Of course she would ask. She was smart, painfully so. Truthfully, he hadn't wanted to discuss the details of his time spent with the police with her. It just didn't seem to be beneficial to her, not when she still needed to physically recover first. Mentally... Well, he knew that could take years.

"Not yet." His voice was firm and she flinched slightly at the tone. "I'll, uh, let you know more when it's time." A nod was all he needed to fall back into silence once more. She went back to fiddling with the bandages at her hips, pulling gently at their seams. Hours seemed to pass in their bubble of quietness...

Todoroki had already fallen asleep by the second hour, slumped in his chair at her side with his head resting gently on his hand. A small smile graced her lips at the sight. He looked peaceful, features soft and completely void of worry for the moment. Soon, she had followed his lead and succumbed to her own slumber, curling into herself as her eyes fell on him one more time before it all faded into nothingness.

—

Momo Yaoyorozu's eyes fluttered open to see a dim room. Drips of water filled her ears and she glanced around, a pounding sensation filling her head with pain. What... Where was she? Where was Todoroki? He was just there, sleeping beside her bed with his comforting presence.

"Eyes on me, darlin'."

Her blood chilled at the voice.

No. He was dead. This wasn't happening...

Her eyes snapped to his face, that menacing grin planted firm on his lips. Blood smeared across his forehead and she didn't have to glance down to know it was her own. She could feel the warm liquid rushing down her thighs, coating her skin before it pooled at her feet. Cuts stung in the damp air around them and that horrid crawling sensation picked at her skin with bony fingers. If only she could just scratch until it left...

"Pay attention, now. I don't want you to forget this part," he had moved closer as he talked. His fingers grazed her bleeding sides, gripping at her bruised and bare skin. A whimper came floating from her lips, his hands pressing against deep cuts and fragments of bones. She briefly wondered how many he had managed to snap or cut at but any thoughts immediately left her mind as his wandering hands came to roughly grip her thighs. The blood escaping from matching wounds atop both thighs gurgled in his grip, bubbling between his fingers and cascading over his already red hands. A muffled scream left her mouth at the agony of those fresh wounds being pressed against, his fingernails digging into their jagged edges. Oh god. She didn't know how much more she could take. Her body was already quaking at the pain alone, trembling against the chair she was bound to.

Somehow she knew what came next.

The man's hands drifted from the tops of her thighs to the center and as he lifted one hand to fiddle with his belt, she screamed with eyes shut tight. She screamed for her life, for her innocence. It died on her lips, just as her soul died against his fingers entering her body.

"Yaoyorozu!"

Blinking, the black haired girl was suddenly blinded by light. In the center of it all was Todoroki's face. Those beautiful eyes searching her own, concern practically dripping from his every pore. His hands stirred at his sides and she glanced down to see him let them rise and fall a few times. He seemed torn between touching her and keeping his distance, despite his face being closer to her own.

"Y-Yes?" She heard her voice before grimancing. It sounded breathless, weak, broken.

"You started screaming in your sleep. The nurses are on their way," he tore his eyes from her to desperately search the door. "I... Are you in pain?" Those mismatched eyes landed on her again and she found herself squirming beneath his gaze. A ragged breath escaped her lips before she slowly tried to sit up, ignoring the sharp pains in her sides. No, she was not weak. She could do this. _Push yourself, Momo._

Todoroki's hands flew towards her in an instant, fingers gentle against the wrappings on her waist. She screamed at the touch and slid back against the frame of her bed, head knocking into the headrest with a sharp smack. Another whimper came from her trembling body and she cowered under his wide eyes. Her own were hollow, tears overflowing onto her cheeks.

"Yao... I..." His words got stuck in his throat at the sight of her. She looked like a caged animal beaten by his own hands. The temperature flared within the room and he scrambled backwards with his hands clenched so tight he could have sworn his white knuckles rivaled the starch room. Her eyes never left him. Those beautiful onyx eyes, once so bright now empty. He swallowed and tore from the room then in a flurry of limbs. He didn't even stop to explain, couldn't explain how agonizing it was to have her look at him like that, to hear her scream at his touch. He ran and ran until he was on the roof, back pressed against the door to the stairwell. Tears bit at his eyes and he wiped them away with trembling hands as they touched his cheeks.

Damn it.

—

"Miss Yaoyorozu, is this better?"

Momo merely nodded, watching with curious eyes as the IV dripped some substance into her veins. She had the faintest clue of what it was but suddenly she was too tired to care. Her body was sore, worn out from struggling against the touch of nurses when they tried to check her bandages. She had torn a few of the wrappings off. Ripped stitches were frowned upon here, although she hadn't touched the wounds beneath the gauze. They had torn at her struggle and when she had howled in pain at the sensation of some wounds ripping open again, one of the nurses had taken the distraction to slip a sedative into her arm.

An hour later, she was calmer and slipping back into slumber. The IV continued to drip and she briefly caught a flash of red and white before her eyes fluttered shut and the white light faded once again into darkness.

This time, she didn't seem to dream.

"Mr. Todoroki, may I see you outside?" The nurse's soft voice tore his eyes from Yaoyorozu's now sleeping form and he gave a slight nod before following the blonde from the room.

"What is it? Is she gonna be okay..?" He inwardly cursed for sounding like such a scared child. He hadn't even reacted this badly to his other friend's injuries while on missions. This was different. This was Momo Yaoyorozu.

"Yes, but I'm afraid to inform you that while her body is healing, her mind is not." The nurse sighed, blue eyes glancing to gaze at the sleeping girl from the window of the closed door. "She suffered a tremendous amount of torture, along with..." She stopped herself and cleared her throat awkwardly. "Every assault victim is different, but it seems that she is afraid to be touched. We gave her a sedative so we can repair the stitches she tore open while struggling against our checking of her wrappings but she cannot go through life on sedatives. Her mind needs time." He nodded, worry eating away at his insides.

"I understand..."

"Do you?" The nurse's sudden change of tone caused him to bristle, eyes wide at the accusing voice. "I know you two are rather... close, but you need to consider backing off a little while she recovers." Todoroki took a few steps back, eyes turning into slits.

"You expect me to just abandon her?" His voice was low, a rough growl that hung in the tension of the hallway.

"I'm not asking you to leave her. I'm just... I would like you to give her space." The blonde nurse crossed her arms. "Maybe ask Jirou to come visit while you take a few days. You have your own problems to deal with as well so perhaps you should let Miss Yaoyorozu rest while you prepare for what the police decide."

His left side erupted into flames, then, and he let out a sharp snarl before tearing from the hallway without another word. The abandoned nurse merely sighed before slipping back into Yaoyorozu's room. Her fingers reached for the phone hanging against the wall beside the door, typing in a few numbers before pressing it to her ear.

"Hi, yes, is this Miss Jirou..? Oh, no there's no need to worry! I just wanted to ask if you would come by the hospital? We have some updates for you regarding Miss Yaoyorozu." She paused to listen to the jumble of words that tumbled from the earphone jack hero on the other end of the phone. "Yes, we shall see you soon. Thank you," and with that she hung up the phone to make another, shorter call. Those ripped stitches needed to be taken care of while the creation hero was still sedated. If they tried to fix them while she was awake... Well, the blonde nurse knew that she would end up with more than a few scratches and bruises on her arms.

With a sigh, she finished asking for the necessary supplies and helpers before placing the phone back into its holder and crossing the room. She drew the curtains forward and encased the room in the artificial light of the bright florescents that hung overhead. If she had glanced down at the street below, she could have witnessed a certain icy hot hero stalking off towards home with flames trailing in his wake.

Notes • Hello, I'm back with a quicker update than I thought! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I really appreciate you guys liking the story! I hope to have cleared up a bit of confusion with how things were handled in the first chapter and hopefully now it makes a little bit more sense~ If you see any mistakes or things that still don't make sense please let me know! I've been using my phone to write these as my laptop is currently broken so they're a bit on the shorter side but I hope to have a longer chapter for you guys on the next update c: See you all next time 3


	3. Chapter 3

Two hard weeks had passed by the time she had seen him again.

Her wounds were slowly healing, the physical ones anyway, and she could actually move around freely now. The hospital was discharging her tomorrow and Jirou was sitting quietly beside her with a furrowed brow.

"Stupid discharge papers," she grumbled.

"You know I can fill those out, right..?" A slight annoyed feeling crept up into her mind. She wasn't totally helpless... Close, but not quite.

"Yeah, but you should focus on getting better, Yaomomo." The purple haired girl's response earned an eye roll and she stubbornly crossed her newly scarred arms over her chest.

"I'm healed enough to leave," she retorted. "Therefore, I can handle my own papers."

Jirou merely stuck out her tongue before handing them over. One look at them, however, and Momo could already feel a headache coming on. There was so many parts to this stupid process. Couldn't she just sign her name and be done with it? No, those weren't the policies and despite the stir crazy feeling bubbling up inside her body, she couldn't just ignore their rules. A sigh escaped her lips before she mindlessly created a pen and got to work on the seemingly endless stack of papers.

An hour had passed, it seemed, before a sudden noise jolted her from her work. Glancing up, her eyes widened at the sight of dual colored hair. Todoroki? What was he doing here? The man in question had a sheepish look spreading across his handsome features as one hand rubbed awkwardly at his neck.

"Uh, this a bad time..?" His eyes were glued to the floor, the wall, the ceiling... Anywhere but the girl he had all but basically abandoned.

"No," she breathed out. "Come in." Her voice sounded tired and he quietly closed the door behind him. Jirou cleared her throat, her eyes sweeping between the two before she rose to her feet.

"Since Todoroki's here, I'll head down to get some coffee." She flashed Momo a quick smile. "Besides, maybe he can deal with those shitty papers." Her awkward laugh filled the room and with that, she disappeared quickly into the hallway with the click of the closing door.

An uneasy tension filled the room once she had left and Momo couldn't figure out what she was supposed to say to the icy hot hero. He hadn't come by in two weeks, hadn't even called. How was she supposed to talk to him now..? Her feelings were hurt, much to her disappointment. Part of her felt guilty for being angry with him. What if he was just busy with missions? He couldn't help it if he had work to do while she was recovering. _He could have still called._ Bitterness bit at her mind and she gnawed gently on her lower lip. The other half of her couldn't help but think that he was disgusted with her, with how pathetic she was. After all, she had gotten beaten to a bloody pulp and viciously assaulted because she wasn't strong enough to stop it. Hell, she wasn't even smart enough to have seen it coming.

"Yaoyorozu?"

His voice ripped her from her mind and she flinched, hands subconsciously gripping the blanket at her waist with white knuckles. Her body relaxed slightly at the sound of his familiar voice and she forced a smile to her lips.

"Yes?" Her voice was hoarse, worn out from too many nights spent screaming herself awake. "It's, um, been a while I suppose." Momo dropped her eyes from his and opted for looking out the window instead. In the back of her mind, she found herself wishing for this to be over. She couldn't handle his presence right now. Not with the anger clawing at her insides or the terror that still kept her grasped tightly between cruel fingers.

"Sorry..." Todoroki mumbled, taking a few steps closer to occupy the chair Jirou had left empty. "I wanted to give you some space." He grimanced at his poor excuse. Truthfully, he had been beating himself up ever since he had left the hospital two weeks ago. How could he still call himself a hero or a friend after he had just left her like that? Screw that damn nurse for even suggesting the idea. Yaoyorozu had needed him and he had just flaked on her. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

"It's alright." Her words were soft, almost timid, as her hands idly fiddled with the blanket. "I wouldn't want to be here either, truthfully." The slight rise in temperature went unnoticed by Momo as she let a few more words tumble out. "It must be depressing to be around someone with so many problems."

She missed his eyes narrowing at her words as well, her gaze still firmly placed on the world outside instead of the tense man before her.

"It's not alright."

The words caused her to glance his way and his cheeks flushed slightly.

"Why?" He blinked at her simple response, confusion settling on his features.

"I abandoned you," his statement lingered in the air, heavy with emotion Momo couldn't quite place. "You're hurting and I... I just left." His bangs shielded his eyes from her slightly hollow gaze but she could see the slight tremble in his hands. Why was he beating himself up over this..? Wasn't that what he wanted, to leave her? She was weak, after all, with half healed wounds and a traumatized mind. She would want to leave too.

"I didn't expect you to stay." Momo didn't expect to hear herself sound so cold. It was vastly different from before that day, before her soul had been broken. She was full of light and happiness then, content with the idea of saving those in danger and having her best friends by her side. Now she was just a shell of her former self barely held together by her mauled skin.

"Well I wanted to stay but I didn't want to bring back memories of tha—"

"Don't."

She cut him off sharply and he winced, shrinking back into his chair. The skin at the back of his neck was red from being rubbed too much by a scalding hot hand yet he continued to irritate it out of awkwardness.

"I'm sorry." Momo merely nodded and turned her head back to the window.

"So you've said," she mused, more to herself than him. Truthfully, she had trouble believing he would feel sorry about any of it. He was an honest man, that she knew, but to feel sorry about something that had nothing to do with him? It was beneath the son of Endeavor.

Shouto opened his mouth to speak when a knock snapped both pairs of eyes to the door. Jirou stood uncomfortably in the doorway, a small tray of three drinks resting in her pale hands.

Momo offered a small smile and he noted it never reached the dark abyss of her eyes. Still, it was more than he managed to get out of her. Sure, she had smiled earlier when he had first arrived, but it didn't seem natural. This one seemed a bit more genuine but it wasn't a true Yaoyorozu smile.

"Am I interrupting?" Jirou asked, holding a coffee out to Momo's shaky hands. She took it with both hands and spared a glance at Shouto before looking down at the warm cup.

"No," she mumbled. "He was just leaving."

His body stiffened at her words, quickly swallowing down the gasp that tried to claw its way from his throat. Jirou's head whipped toward him then and he slipped on a polite smile.

"Yeah, I, uh, have to stop by Midoriya's." He tried his best to ignore the deflated tone of his voice and rose from the chair. "I'll talk to you later, Yaoyorozu, Jirou." The short haired girl nodded in response and as his eyes settled on Momo's frame, he saw the faraway look in her eyes and knew she wasn't listening by that point. The sharp bite of rejection tore at his composure but he maintained a steady temperature as he left the room as quickly as he had entered.

His mind was in shambles by the time fresh air hit his cheeks.

••••••••

"Yaomomo, what was that?"

She sighed, already knowing where this was going. Jirou had been trying to subtly ask about Todoroki since last week and each time she asked, Momo grew more and more morose about the half and half man. It was quickly climbing her list of least favorite topics, although it would never reach number one.

"Nothing." She dismissed the question with a rustle of papers. "I have to finish these forms." An uncomfortable silence settled around the girls as she brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and turned her attention to getting the hell out of there.

••••••••

Shouto hadn't noticed when he reached the door to Midoriya's apartment.

His mind was a whirlwind of chaos, swirling between anger and hurt. He felt dirty for being so upset with Yaoyorozu. It was wrong after what she had been through but that didn't stop the feelings that just wouldn't seem to leave.

The past two weeks were hard on him. He had barely slept, burying himself in work to keep from trying to find every excuse to see her. The nurse had been clear when she told him to leave Yaoyorozu alone. She needed the space but it seemed to only cause more pain. He knew she wasn't going to take his absence well but to see her being so cold toward him? It cut deep at feelings he wasn't fully aware of. She had all but dismissed him even showing up today and the look in her eyes... He hadn't known her eyes could be so empty.

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke his chain of thought and he startled, blinking back into focus. Midoriya stood before him with his usual messy hair and awkward smile.

"Todoroki?"

He offered a half smile in response.

"Come in!"

The door opened wider and he muttered a thanks before stepping past his friend and into his apartment. Midoriya shut the door behind them and all but ushered Shouto to the living room, surprisingly silent considering the constant jabber he was capable of.

The half and half hero raised an eyebrow as his companion cleared his throat awkwardly. Tea was set in front of him by a stealthy Uraraka, who offered a small smile, before she retreated back to the kitchen. "Uh..." was the only noise that escaped from Midoriya. His cheeks were redder by the minute and Shouto fought back a small chuckle as he raised the steaming mug to his lips.

"She stays here every now and again," Midoriya mumbled meekly. "That's besides the point, though, Todoroki."

"What is the point then?" He replied cooly, face set into an even expression.

"You seem... Ah, how do I put this?" The green haired man went into his usual muttering, a hand pressed to the underside of his chin.

"Midoriya." Shouto sighed, his patience already rather thin from earlier. "Get on with it." His words received a quick nod before Izuku went into a speech that he had been giving to his friend since before this incident had even occured.

"You need to be honest with her, you know. She deserves to know how you're feeling too." Shouto snickered at that, effectively cutting the speech short.

"No she doesn't. Yaoyorozu is still healing and I'm not going to just bombard her with my shit," he sighed then. "She has her own problems to deal with. I'd just make it worse."

"She needs someone, Todoroki, and I thought that you wouldn't leave her side after this. She's probably scared and alone. The least you can do, at least, is just check on her more." Midoriya tried to offer a gentle smile. "I know you don't want to hurt her more, but disappearing on her isn't solving anything."

Shouto groaned, abandoning the tea on the table to place his head in his hands. Midoriya was right, as usual. _Damn it._ He knew anything he did wasn't going to help Yaoyorozu. Not his feelings or his concern or the tightness in his chest at her dull eyes. He didn't need Midoriya to point out how shitty he was being. The weight of his actions was heavy enough on his shoulders without the well-meaning comments.

A gentle hand on his shoulder snapped his eyes to the side, mismatched hues falling on the concerned face of Uraraka. He hadn't heard her soft footsteps returning from the kitchen. When did she even get back? And... Why was she looking at him like that?

"Todoroki..." she began faintly, voice soothing yet wary. "Be with her, she needs you." Something close to a sob threatened to break loose from his body and he held it back with a shaky breath. Damn these two. They were always right, always so observant towards their friends to know just how to comfort them.

"I... Damn it." Shouto growled and his head fell back into his hands. The faint sensation of tears lapped at his eyes, thumbs waiting to catch any that happened to slip past his rapidly blinking eyes.

He knew they were right. The guilty feeling wasn't going to leave until he was back at her side but her reaction earlier... She was angry, that much he was sure of. She was hurt and it was his fault. _I always said I would never become my father,_ he mused to himself. _What a joke._

Midoriya and Uraraka tried their hardest to cheer the red and white haired man up after that. Their efforts were nice but did little to dampen his sullen mood. It seemed to only get worse as the time passed him by. His thoughts had progressed from a storm to a full blown wildfire at this point. Every thought burned worse than the last, the ashes scattering until only one thing remained. Yaoyorozu, the image of her battered body permanently carved into his brain. He never wanted to see her like that again. Not from a villain, not from his own doing.

He left Midoriya's that night with his hands clenched in his pockets, a fierce certainty filling him. He would never let anyone or anything hurt her again. The feelings that stayed dormant for far too long were awakened with a vengance and with fiery eyes, he found himself on the path towards the hospital.

She needed him and he wasn't going anywhere this time.

Notes • not sure how i feel about this one but hopefully it isn't too bad! it's a bit of a transitional chapter i think ^^; anyway, thank you so much to everyone who has read so far, i really appreciate you guys even looking at this! it really does mean a lot~

i hope to have another chapter up by next week so be on the lookout and check my tumblr, pceluvtoga, for any updates! until next time~


	4. Chapter 4

The first day home started off fine for her.

She spent the majority of her time reading or clicking through channels on tv. Occasionally she'd see mentions of Todoroki's ongoing trial and every time she did, she'd have to make a new remote to replace the one she crushed the buttons on. It was too much to handle, too much to even bother learning about. She'd prefer to not know the details of his problems, the ones she had caused. He was in this mess because of her...

Damn it.

She swore she was done crying.

Still, the tears came. They flowed like streams down her cheeks, even with her hands furiously swiping at them. The awful feeling inside her just kept resuracing. A parasite in her body that wouldn't stop draining her of any energy she had. She didn't want to feel guilty, ashamed, dirty. She knew how these things went, knew how the victims felt. Not once, however, did Momo ever think she would become a victim herself.

Knowing Todoroki was on trial for her mistake made it even worse. He was in a courtroom facing major charges and she was here, unable to do anything. Unable to help, not capable of being a hero anymore. How could she just sit on her couch while he could be stripped of his hero title? Oh god. If he was no longer a hero because she couldn't defend herself...

The thought brought more tears and streams turned to rivers as sobs shook her body. She curled into herself, hands gripping the blanket atop her until her knuckles turned white. How did this happen? Why was she about to end Todoroki's career as a hero? She can't handle that, knowing he could no longer do what he loved because of her.

i"Don't cry, angel face."/i

Everything seemed to still at his voice. It rang in her ears, agonizing to hear. She knew he wasn't here, knew he couldn't possibly be there. Yet, it was almost as if she could feel his breath on her neck. A shiver ran down her spine and she scrambled off the couch. The tears came faster, her breathing quickening as panic rose in her throat.

No, no, no, no!

Logically, there was no way he could be in her apartment. He was dead, after all, but his presence, his voice... It haunted her. She was trapped like a caged animal by the sheer memory of him. He was everywhere, laughing at her, licking those damn lips and waiting to stick a knife into her skin once more. She could still feel the blood dripping from her healing wounds. The sound of metal ripping into flesh echoed in her ears with every heartbeat and when she even attempted to shower... He was there. Always watching, always touching, constantly defiling her again and again.

Bile rose in her throat quickly and she gagged, wobbly legs stumbling toward the bathroom as she tried to keep the vomit back as long as she could.

Momo collapsed in a heap on the cool tile floor of the bathroom after emptying her body of what little food she could eat earlier. Nothing stayed down much these days. It always came back up, making even the idea of using her quirk impossible. There was no lipids to use, rendering her more useless than before. A sigh escaped from her lips as she gently rested her head against the toilet. Her wounds ached, still mending themselves, and her body was pale and shaky. She looked like a ghost of herself. Her body was growing thinner with each meal thrown back up and her eyes were hollow. Black and blue bags developed beneath her eyes for she couldn't sleep much now.

Even if she tried, he was there.

A sharp knock on the door drew her from her thoughts with a jolt. Shakily, Momo got to her feet and flushed the remainder of her dinner down the toilet before making her way to the door. What time even was it? A quick glance toward one of the windows confirmed that it was now nighttime, faint stars littering the dark sky that were overtaken by city lights. Who could possibly be here at this hour?

She sharply inhaled as bambi legs carried her slowly closer to the door. Dread pooled in her stomach and Momo felt the sudden urge to vomit once more. Despite every inch of her body practically screaming to not open the door, she gently undid the locks and grabbed the handle. The breath came out in a whoosh of air as soon as her dark eyes laid on the person behind the door.

center••••••••/center

"Yaoyorozu."

He didn't know what else to say if he was being completely honest.

After court, Shouto couldn't stay home. He was restless, pacing back and forth until his feet quite literally almost burned holes into the floor. Walks around the neighborhood seemed to always qualm his mind and thus, here he was: looking at Yaoyorozu's pale face, awkwardly standing in her doorway with a sheepish look and slightly flushed cheeks. Something flashed across her face before disappearing in a second and before he could fully recognize it as relief, she opened the door further to allow him inside.

He instinctively went to the kitchen first, hands fumbling around the somewhat tidy area for a tea kettle. If she weren't still healing, he was sure she would have already had some tea brewing.

"How are you?" His eyes darted over to her hovering by the edge of the kitchen, lingering on her frame for a minute longer than he would have liked. The flush of pink across his cheeks deepened in color as he turned back to his task.

"Been worse," she shrugged with eyes downcast to the floor. "I guess I can't complain too much considering..." Neither of them had to even finish the sentence to know what she was getting at. His jaw tightened at the mention of it, anger boiling beneath his skin with just the thought of that bastard.

"I..." He paused, turning the burner on and setting the kettle atop it before turning toward her. His eyes noticed the flinch at his sudden movement and as she raised her hand to cover it with a cough, his gaze softened.

Her wounds might be starting to heal but she sure as hell wasn't.

"I'm sorry for showing up so late." He offered a small smile. "I should have called first but I figured I'd come check up on you." The ghost of a smile licked at her lips before disappearing into a mask of neutrality.

"It's alright," the smile that appeared on her face next was definitely forced but he tried to ignore how empty her eyes looked when paired with that polite smile of hers. "Truthfully, I could use the distraction. I'm so bored without work!"

He knew Yaoyorozu didn't enjoy sitting around and feeling helpless. She was a hero, a natural born leader with great instincts and yet she was caged inside her apartment. Sure, it was only the first day she was home but she had spent weeks laying in a hospital bed with nothing but sedatives and agonizing memories. He could see how it was wearing on her. She lost weight, her clothes that once fit snuggly now hanging off her frame. Her eyes were a dull charcoal that rivalled the bags beneath her eyes in darkness. Every inch of her screamed pain and suffering, roaring beneath a broken mask of indifference.

Still, despite not looking like her usual self, he found her beautiful.

"Here," his hands slid a steaming cup of tea on the table toward her. Yaoyorozu slowly took it with a small weary smile, eyes tracing the now fading ripples of movement across the surface. He merely dipped his head in reply before sipping at his own mug. Mismatched eyes peered at her over the brim of the drink and he tried to ignore the sudden ache of pain that began to swell in his chest.

She didn't take a single sip. The cup sat between her hands, cupped too tightly with white knuckles and strained fingers. He knew she was never one to let tea get cold (unless she was serving some to him; he liked it cooler than most). Her eyes never left the liquid in the mug either, downcast and somber.

"I..." The sound of her soft voice broke the silence and startled him out of his gaze. A light blush dusted his cheeks at the idea of her catching him basically staring into her soul but part of him knew she wasn't paying attention, wasn't aware of anything but the hurricane in her mind and the faint feeling of his presence.

"I'm sorry."

He blinked at her, confusion settling across his features. Why was she apologizing? He had interrupted her night, bothering her with his sudden need to be close to her (it got rid of the tightness in his chest when he thought of her being alone).

"Why are you apologizing?" He took a few steps closer, entering her bubble of personal space. The dark haired girl backed up a little and he didn't miss the way her breath caught in her throat. A sheepish flush grew hot across the back of his neck and he rubbed gently at the skin with his right hand, eyes now downcast in awkwardness.

"I-I... Your case." She mumbled, that once lively voice now full of emotions he couldn't begin to place. "It's all my fault." A small sob she couldn't manage to hold back had escaped from her throat.

He tried to approach her again, slowly this time. Still, he spooked her more.

She retreated into the safety of her bathroom with a whimper and the click of a lock.

"Yao-"

"Go away!"

Shouto sighed, mentally cursing himself. He should be sensitive and understanding yet he already managed to cause Yaoyorozu to lock herself in a damn bathroom. How was he going to help her and be there for her now? She was afraid of him even approaching her... Part of him stung with the hurt of knowing she didn't even trust him getting near her but he knew that it wasn't his fault. No, it was that damn bastard's fault.

Shouto slid down the length on the door, his back lightly thumping against the cool wood. He could hear her quiet whimpers and a frown graced his lips. He couldn't stand this. Yaoyorozu was struggling, suffering, and he couldn't do anything. A fiery fist clenched at his side as he tried to control his temper, teeth grinding together angrily. iCalm down, Shouto. He's dead. You need to help her through this now./i

"Yaoyorozu." He called to her, the back of his head pressed gently to the door. "I'll be right here until you're ready to come out." A small gasp could be heard from the other side of the door and a gentle smile crept onto his lips.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Notes • Hey guys I'm so sorry about the wait on this chapter! Life has been a bit busier than usual with the holidays coming so it's been a bit rough trying to find time to write but I hope you all enjoy this one~ Thank you so much to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed it means the world to me!

I hope to have the next chapter up soon for you all~ Until next time, everyone c;


	5. Chapter 5

He sat there until the morning, drooling with his back still pressed against the wooden door.

When had he fallen asleep? Where was Yaoyorozu? Was she okay..?

Scrambling to his feet, Shouto cursed as his eyes tried and failed to adjust to the sudden sunlight that was streaming through the windows. A few blinks and he could sort of open his eyes without tearing up instantly. This seemed to happen a lot, especially if he was as tired as he currently was. After all, he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the past week. The sound of her screams tended to keep him awake in the late hours of the night.

"Yao - Yaoyorozu?" His voice filled the air, groggy and hesitant. Was she still locked in the bathroom? Had he forced her to stay in there all night because he couldn't stay awake? Shit… The poor girl.

"Yes?" came her tired response, soft and timid from just beyond the door. From the sound of it, she hadn't slept at all. Double shit.

"I - Uh - I'm sorry," he paused and cleared his throat. "I think I may have barricaded you in there." Laughter met his ears and (he knew it was forced, her laughter was too distinct when it was real) he shuffled back from the door. Maybe he could have tea ready for her when she came out? Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

"You still drink jasmine oolong or did you switch it up on me again?" He questioned, eyes already scanning the kitchen for her metal kettle while his feet carried him toward the sink.

"Um - No I - I switched to an earl grey lavender," she paused and he heard the faucet turn on with a faint squeak. "You should try it, it's quite delightful!" _Well, there was one way to make her happy: just ask about her preferred tea._

"Maybe I will," he retorted with a soft chuckle before allowing a slightly comfortable silence to settle upon them as he got to work.

Within minutes, he had everything laid out. Two mugs, one red and one blue, with a bag of the lavender tea already lying in wait and a variety of additives set aside. He knew she preferred to not add anything to her tea but he wasn't quite sure if he would need honey or lemon. He personally preferred his tea just a touch sweeter than normal but perhaps this specific kind wouldn't require any tampering.

The gentle click of a lock caught his attention immediately, drawing him from his thoughts as his eyes flickered toward the bathroom. She emerged, then, wiping at tired black eyes with delicate hands. Her hair was a tangled mess of ink as she tried to tame it with a simple bun.

"What time is it?" She asked, her eyes meeting his own as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Uh," he paused. A quick glance was cast toward the small crimson clock nestled on the wall before he looked back to her. "Almost 8 in the morning. 7:54 if you want to get technical," he flashed her a small grin. "Which, I'm certain you do." The eye roll she sent in his direction made his heart skip slightly for he knew if Yaoyorozu was rolling her eyes at him then he was doing something right. Maybe today would turn out to be better for the girl. Oh, he really hoped so…

"Is it ready?" Momo settled in a seat at the table, fingers dancing slightly over the scars at her wrists. His eyes flicker for a moment to follow her fingers, a frown etching itself onto his features. "What?" She asked quickly as her hands left her wrists to settle into her lap.

Shouto opened his mouth to respond when the tea kettle began to whistle, swallowing the words that were about to leave his mouth. He blinked once, twice, before she raised an eyebrow and he quickly turned to grab the noisy pot. The mugs were filled with ease and as he gingerly placed the crimson one before her, he let out an awkward laugh.

"Breakfast is served," he chuckled. "Kind of wish I could cook without burning the whole place down so we could have something to eat with this." She offered him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, an airy giggle bubbling from her lips.

"True," she mused in response. "You really are a _terrible_ cook."

They sat in silence then, neither willing to break it just yet. He didn't want to upset her again, not after she imprisoned herself in the bathroom for hours. On the opposite side, she just didn't feel up for talking anymore.

Exhaustion settled comfortably into her bones. It was an uncomfortable feeling, heavy as if gravity was fighting to push her face into the floor. The tea, her favorite tea at the moment, certainly was only making it worse. Lavender normally had a soothing effect on the black haired girl but now, as the smell kept wafting into her nose, it only increased the tired feeling that currently possessed her body. A small yawn escaped her mouth, half-hidden behind a lazily raised hand.

"Tired?" Shouto's voice met her ears and she glanced up at him, her eyes leaving the comfort of her mug to find his mismatched eyes on her. The look in his eyes… Concern, one she had seen far too much of lately.

Momo turned her head away, raising the mug to her lips as she greedily gulped the remaining tea.

"I suppose it's noticeable?" Her eyes flickered toward him, her mug now drained.

"Uh - I - A little," he mumbled. "Have you been…?" He trailed off, uncertainty clamping its sharp teeth around him.

"Sleeping?" She sighed then, shoulders drooping. "Not at all," Momo paused to turn toward him with a questioning look upon her features. "Am I the only one who hasn't? You know, been sleeping…"

His heart squeezed at the look upon her face, a mixture of exhaustion and doubtfulness and _oh… Is that fear?_

"I…" he trailed off, right hand finding the back of his neck in an attempt to rub idly at the skin beneath his hair. "I haven't. Everyone is their own level of tired, I guess, but they aren't as affected," he muttered.

Her demeanor changed, then, as the last word escaped his lips. She straightened, as if her veins turned to ice and could never thaw again. The itch to use his fire had never been stronger…

"You - You should go," her words were quick, jumbled, tripping over themselves to show him the door. He grimaced, her intention sharp as knives. He hurt her. _Damn it! I'm not him. I didn't mean to…_ His eyes were wide as she rose to her feet, dismal eyes fixated on the floor. Scrambling to his own feet, he seemed unable to get out anything other than her name.

"Yao - Yaoyor - Yaoyorozu…"

She waved it off with a simple rotation of her body, already heading toward the door with unwavering resolve. Shouto meekly followed with his head hung low and a stinging in his chest.

"Thanks for stopping by," came her robotic sigh while her hands made quick work of the locks.

He shuffled out with an awkward air and as he spun quick on his heels with words already spewing from his lips, she shut him out.

"I -" _Click!_ "I'm sorry…"

He heard the sound of the barricades going into place once more and the growl of anger he had been holding back finally escaped his mouth. Shouto stalked away from her door with ashy footprints left in his wake and with a loud curse, he smashed his left hand into the closed metal doors of the elevator at the end of the corridor.

"Shit!"

The half and half hero left her apartment complex without another word and a couple of crumpled up notes of money thrown atop the desk of the building owner's desk.

Oh, how long the way home was with his fervent rage only fueling the fire in his heart…

Notes ~ here's a continuation of the previous chapter as another interlude! i'm so sorry for how long it took me to update ;~; i hit a bit of writer's block for this story so i'm hoping to get past that with this chapter! anyway, i hope you enjoyed and thank you so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites they really mean a lot 3 i think i rushed this chapter a bit but hope you still enjoyed~


	6. Chapter 6

"Kyouka," she began with a sigh, glancing at the purple haired girl beside her. "Can you please stop texting during the movie? It's rather rude," she reprimanded. The girl in question gave her a sheepish smile and tucked her phone away before shuffling closer under the fluffy blankets atop them. She had agreed to a Disney movie marathon with her best friend after a little… No, a lot of persuasion and the earphone jack heroine was just going to sit on her phone the entire time? No way, not on her watch.

Today was a better day for Momo, much to her surprise. It had been a few days since that day Todoroki had stopped by and slept outside of her bathroom and nothing had really happened since. Well, that was a bit of a lie. She had started therapy a day or two ago as it was required to get back into the swing of things.

Personally, she didn't like therapy all that much. It made her feel broken. Which, apparently, she was. Her therapist wanted to meet every day until she felt she could make it through a week without having a breakdown and truthfully, it was a lot to handle. Funny, she thought things couldn't get any worse. Of course, she was certainly wrong.

Each session made her feel weird. It wasn't like she felt judged, per say. Rather, it was the opposite. She felt accepted, almost too accepted. It was strange to feel that way after what had happened. She supposed it was the therapist's job to make her feel comfortable about sharing the depths of her mind, the thoughts and flashbacks and the feeling of his eyes still on her. It was normal to feel that way, she had been told. Her therapist had said at the beginning of each session thus far that victims experience their trauma differently and Momo was no different. Of course, she had cringed at the word victim, her mind scoffing at the title.

She didn't want to be called a victim anymore. It hurt to continue to hear the way people talked to her, as if she was a poor helpless bird. Hell, the woman that sat in front of her while she leaned back against the cool leather of a chair and spilled her guts out on the floor looked at her with such sad eyes… It disgusted her. The pity she received, the morose looks and sympathetic tones people threw her way… It made her stomach churn. They didn't understand, couldn't understand what happened. Hell, she didn't even fully understand what had happened.

Well, it wasn't that she didn't understand it. Rather, she couldn't bring herself to wrap her mind around it. The blessings of having such an intelligent mind were also curses. She knew what happened, was told and remembered and was questioned dozens of times over the events that took place that fateful day in the dampness of that basement. She just… She couldn't bring herself to fully process it. Yes, it had happened and yes, it still happened in her mind every day but there was something about it that she couldn't shake. Perhaps it was the blanks that other people couldn't fill in, the gaps in her memory that she searched and searched for to no avail. Or maybe it was just the numbness that came from thinking of what happened. The feeling of not feeling was… Well, it was scary to the girl. She didn't want to never feel anything again after this and the idea of not being able to feel anything but the crushing numbness terrified her to her core. Her therapist wanted to work on that next session, of course, and gave her homework to try. Her suggestion was to try to do things that made her happy, whether it was hanging out with a friend or watching a favorite show or movie. That is, after all, how today transpired.

Frankly, she didn't understand how doing this that made her happy before the event was supposed to get rid of the numbness but she would try like hell to make it work. The urge to feel anything at all nagged at her throughout the days and she didn't want to just continue the way she had been. She was tired, after all. She could barely sleep, let alone eat or do anything beside barricade herself inside her apartment like Rapunzel locked away in her lonely tower. The feeling of impending doom constantly lingering over her head, whether from the creeping feeling of nasty eyes watching her or the ghosting of a knife across her pale skin, was suffocating yet she almost didn't want to escape it. Or, rather, she felt like she didn't deserve to escape it.

"Yaomomo?" Kyouka's voice cut through her thoughts and she jolted to attention, foggy eyes glancing to her right. The first thing she registered was the concern knitting itself across Kyouka's features and she swallowed the urge to roll her eyes at the sight. She knew her friend just cared about her wellbeing but it just… bugged her to see the unmasked concern. "You okay?" She murmured and Momo nodded a little too quickly. Kyouka kept her eyes glued to Momo's face, eyes searching for more than just the nod for reassurance.

"The movie ended while you were lost in thought, you know," she offered a small smirk, her tone light and joking.

"Oh, I - I'm sorry," she began with a sigh, her eyes glancing toward the rolling credits of Frozen. "I got a little sidetracked, I suppose!" A soft chuckle left her lips in a light breath and she didn't have to turn to face Kyouka to know that she was already rolling her eyes in that signature way of hers.

"A little?" She snorted. "You spaced out after yelling at me for my phone, which was a little smartass-y of you by the way since you totally stopped paying attention after." Momo giggled sheepishly, running a delicate hand through her hair.

"Yes, you're right," she replied, much to Kyouka's pleasure. She always did enjoy being told that she was right. "I apologize, Kyouka. Forgive me?" She offers with a small smile, although it didn't quite reach her eyes. If her best friend had noticed, her face didn't give it away as she merely smirked wider and threw her hands up in mock surrender.

"Okay, okay, you know I can't stay mad at you," the earphone jack heroine teased. "Besides, you treated me to an _amazing_ rendition of Let It go so I can't complain too much." Momo giggled once more, knowing her singing was a rare event for the girl beside her. After all, she only sang in the shower or when her favorite Disney movies were on. Of course, she only sang Disney songs as she knew the majority of them like the back of her hand.

"Did you want to watch another?" Momo questioned as she rose to her feet, ignoring the slight wobble her knees gave as they moved. "I think I still have your favorite around here somewhere…" she trailed off, speaking more to herself than Kyouka. She missed the light blush that rose to her friend's cheeks as she moved, embarrassment flashing across her features as she quickly rose to her feet with a laugh.

"No, no it's okay! We can watch that another time," she replied. "I was thinking maybe we could go to your favorite tea shop if you're up for it?" Her tone was dripping with slight uncertainty, the likes of which Momo didn't like to hear much these days. Everyone tiptoed around her, much to her chagrin. She liked to think she wasn't as broken as everyone knew she was (despite the constant reminders on her skin and mind). If only it was as simple as trying so desperately to believe a lie.

She sighed, then, and cast a longing look at the open windows. The idea of going outside after all the time spent inside was certainly appetizing and oh, she did _love_ that tea shop. If she was being honest, however, she didn't want to face the outside world just yet. The thought of more pitiful stares and whispers behind her back was cause enough for her to firmly plant her butt on her couch and stay in her tiny little corner of the world away from the judgement beyond her door. Still, the idea of tea and fresh air sure was tempting…

"Yaomomo…?" Kyouka's voice once again broke her away from her thoughts and she offered a soft, apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking too much again," she sighed, tearing her eyes away from the window to look at the purple haired girl. "I - Yeah, I think I would like that." The look in Kyouka's eyes was enough for her to giggle, a gossamer sound dancing in the air around them. She looked so much like Kaminari in that moment, a wide happy grin spreading across her lips and excitement bubbling from her pores. How could she possibly say no to that face?

"Hell yeah, let's go!" Kyouka's tone left little room for argument as she marched triumphantly to the door, one hand grabbing her shoes from the small basket while the other reached for the door. Momo let out another giggle as she followed suit, shrugging her own soft coat onto her shoulders. She murmured a soft reminder for Kyouka to wear her coat, earning a chuckle and a "yes mom!" from the girl before they left the comfortable confines of her apartment for the bustling world outside. Her eyes missed the scorched footprints in the carpet that trailed to the elevator, not yet repaired from the other day, and with a soft laugh in response to a remark her friend had made about finally seeing that cute waiter from the tea shop again, she had an inkling that today might finally be a day of light instead of the constant darkness.

••••••••

The noise of the tea shop was welcoming when they stepped inside from the brisk air that blanketed the world outside. A soft ambiance of murmuring patrons and silky jazz embraced them with ease, the girls finding a secluded table in the corner away from the prying eyes that followed. It felt like home away from home to her as she had spent countless days in this very seat, hunched over paperwork and books and a wonderful mug of her favorite tea. Even the smell was welcoming, cozy and warm against her nostrils. It put her fast paced heartbeat at ease after the walk over.

She knew there would be stares and whispers but she hadn't been prepared for how many people outright stopped to gape at her. Kyouka had told her to ignore it all and keep walking but… Her mind kept circling back to their faces. Shock appeared on each person's features, quickly morphing from surprise to pity. Of course, she would never rid herself of those looks but to see them from mere strangers… It was rather overwhelming. Each person they passed had the same reaction, one after another until she felt like a frightened animal on display at the circus.

The cute waiter came and went with a few flirty remarks from Kyouka, heating his cheeks up with hot embarrassment at the attention from a popular pro. She had giggled behind her hand at her friend's antics, already well versed in her teasing ways. In the back of her mind, she filed the memory away for later use. There were a few files already tucked there, each one a fond reminder of just how much her friends have been trying to help her get past what happened. Of course, she felt a little dirty hoarding those memories just to spill them all out to her therapist in hopes of being told that she was making progress. It almost seemed wrong, in a way. She couldn't help but think that she was merely using her friends as crutches to feel okay again. Momo knew she wouldn't just cast them aside afterward but every time one of them offered to do something with her or come by to check on her, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was only accepting because the loneliness ate away at her insides. She wanted to see her friends and wanted to be able to go outside again without immediately retreating back to the comfort of her home but oh, it was just so hard. She wanted to make progress, desired to be able to go back to work and do something meaningful with her life again but did she deserve to? Her mind wouldn't let her believe that she could possibly help people again after what happened. After all, she couldn't even help herself. What kind of hero can't save themselves from danger?

She felt like a failure and her friends, as much as she loved them, only reminded her of her inability to do anything in the face of hardship. Perhaps that was why she felt so torn about seeing them and telling her therapist about them and their efforts. It wasn't that she didn't want their help or their presence… It was, rather, that she didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve their constant love and support, not after how she had failed herself.

"You know," Kyouka's low whisper captured her attention from her thoughts, as she had been doing all day, as she leaned closer to the creation heroine. "If I didn't love Denki and his idiotic ass, I'd totally make a move on him." She blinked, once, twice, as her mind scrambled to understand exactly who her friend was talking about. It took another moment of blinking before she understood as her eyes followed Kyouka's gaze to land on the back of their usual waiter. **_Of course_** , she thought with the ghost of a small smile on her lips. She always did flirt with the shy man every time they gathered at this shop.

"Isn't he a few years younger than us, Kyouka?" She murmured back.

"I mean, yeah, but he's only 20," she paused with a smirk. "That isn't _too_ young, Yaomomo."

She giggled as a response, nodding slowly in agreement. "If you want to go for it then I certainly won't stop you," she mused with a soft smile. Of course, she knew that Kyouka would never but the thought was entertaining enough. After all, the man got all flustered when she even winked at him and if she had asked him out, Momo was sure the man would simply be unable to function properly.

"It sure would be funny," Kyouka retorted with a laugh. She hummed in response before the waiter came back over, much to Kyouka's delight and his embarrassment. He slid each of their teas before them with fidgety fingers and clumsy hands and Momo had to swallow back the giggles that threatened to spill from her lips. His cheeks were bright pink after he left with a squeaked "enjoy!", Kyouka sending a wink in his direction once he had set her mug down. Once he began to disappear from their sights, Momo couldn't hold her laughter back anymore as Kyouka whistled in appreciation of his retreating figure.

"Come on," she forced out between chuckles. "Let the poor man do his job!"

"I'm disappointed in you, Yaomomo," Kyouka retorted, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout. "You can't possibly sit there and tell me that ass isn't a work of art." Her tone was playful and paired with a suggestive grin, Momo broke down into another fit of laughter. In the back of her mind, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched but she didn't dwell on the thought for too long as she struggled to regain composure after her friend's grin changed into a knowing smirk.

"Right," Kyouka began and Momo didn't even need to take a glance at that teasing glint in her eyes to know this conversation was going to focus on her love life. "I forgot that you're not on the market anymore." The snicker that followed her sentence was one she knew all too well, one she certainly remembered from their years spent in the dorms of UA.

"Don't start," she sighed before bringing her mug to her lips.

"Oh?" Kyouka retorted after a sip from her own mug. "You're not even curious about where I was gonna go with that? You wound me, Yaomomo!" This elicited a giggle from Momo's lips as she placed her mug down, the warmth from just a sip of tea already spreading from her head to her toes. Of course she already knew where the conversation led. After all, she'd been hearing it since the end of their first year at UA. The Todoroki conversation was the proper title she'd given the speech from the girls after a mere few months of hearing it every other day.

"It's the same thing as it always is," she quipped with a soft roll of her eyes. "Todoroki looked at you today! When's the wedding?" Her voice went up an octave as she gave her best Mina impression, lightly clasping her hands together with a flutter of lashes and a hopeful expression. Kyouka's laughter erupted from her lips shortly after a blink or two of her unsuspecting eyes and she leaned over the table in an attempt to shield herself from the curious eyes of other patrons. Each one had an eyebrow raised, a silent question of "why is she so loud?" lingering in the warm air around them. Momo giggled at this, mouthing a soft "sorry!" to the slightly irritated customers before glancing back at her friend.

In the depths of her mind, she was grateful for this day. It was the first one that she had actually, genuinely laughed and for that, a gentle gratitude for those by her side swelled in her chest. They were always trying to cheer her up even before this whole ordeal had happened. Even a grumbling Bakugou hated seeing her with tear-filled eyes and a trembling lip. She, as well as the rest of their former classmates, had an inkling that underneath the many layers of aggression and curses, he was a giant softie at heart. Of course, she was incredibly thankful for how they seemed to come together as one unit in support of her. She'd be insane to not cherish them, after all. Even so, the nagging feeling that she didn't deserve such kindness ate away at her in the late hours of the night. They were all so… kind.

The voice in her head, that eerie, chilling voice of a man already six feet under, rang in her head so loud when she thought of them. _They're faking it,_ he would snarl in her ear and she could swear she felt that same hot breath ghosting over the pale skin of her neck. _No one is that kind. Not to a disgusting girl like you._

She bit at her lip, Kyouka's laughter sounding so far away in that moment. The feeling of being watched slowly increased with each beat of her heart until it pounded in her ears. Every other sound fell away, snuffed out by her rapid pulse. It was almost funny how hollow it sounded and if she didn't know any better, she would have passed it off as the heart of another for how could hers still be hammering in her chest?

"Momo?" The voice tried to cut through the rising panic and she stared blankly at Kyouka. Her brain faintly registered the motion of her lips, silent words that would fall on deaf ears.

All she could hear was him. Over and over, a broken record slowly driving her insane.

 _You deserved everything I did to you. You egged me on, little girl, with those screams._

Momo scrambled to her feet, all wobbly limbs and quick pants of breaths fanning out from her lips. The sound of a shattering mug accompanied the quick movement and…

Oh god, the stares.

She felt each pair of eyes settle onto her skin and the contact burned. Her skin crawled and no matter how many times she wracked her nails over the soft knitted material of her sweater, the sensation wouldn't leave her. It almost felt at home, nestling close to her veins and bones.

"Momo!" Kyouka shouted, rising to her feet with concern writing itself all over her features. "Calm down, Yaomomo… Please," she pleaded, Momo's glassy eyes darting between her friend and the door. She looked like a deer in headlights, spooked and frantic. Even so, Kyouka couldn't help but cringe at the hollowness of her eyes… It was like she wasn't even there in that tea shop, her mind escaping to the furthest depths it could, sheltered and cowering in the corner like a frightened child crying in the dark.

Kyouka turned, eyes searching until her gaze fell upon the shocked face of her favorite waiter. She offered a soft, slightly panicked smile before whispering to him. "Call for help. Get any hero you can find," she said before turning her attention back to the now moving girl before her.

Momo had to scream at her legs to move, to flee, to go anywhere other than here. The once comforting air was now suffocating, perhaps even more so than the eyes that never left her body. It was more than just the scared patrons, more than Kyouka's own eyes on her. No, it was always his eyes, blood thirsty and screaming for more and more of her… A whimper filled the air and in her panic, she faintly registered it as her own. Funny… It sounded so morose, so broken.

She tried to move again, choosing to ignore the fuzzy sensation that crawled through her body. She had read about panic attacks once in an attempt to learn how to comfort citizens during her patrol shifts. Never once did the thought cross her mind that she would have one. There was a first time for everything, she supposed. The book was definitely accurate with its description. Numb limbs and a rising feeling of suffocating, with the sudden inexplicable feeling of impending death as the cherry on top. Her body trembled while she tried to move, wobbling on unsteady legs, and Kyouka hovered close with her arms getting closer and closer to touching her.

"No - No," her voice broke as she spoke, soft sobs ripping through and… Are those tears on her cheeks? When did she start crying? The faint feeling of embarrassment began to flood her senses, cheeks growing hot as she stumbled forward. The intensity of fear hit her gut like a train, her breath coming out in uneven gasps. Kyouka tried shushing her in a soothing tone and her brain faintly registered the words "okay" and "calm".

"Momo, it's okay," The earphone jack heroine's whispers filled the nearly silent air around them. No one dared to speak out of fear that they would only worsen the situation and for that, Kyouka was grateful. The only other sound that filled the small shop was Momo's gasps and soft whimpers as she tried to move forward again.

The books had never explained what to do when panic caused one's body to snuff out the ability to move. She wanted to move, _needed_ to move, but even screeching at her tingly legs did nothing to support her endeavor. Instead, her knees gave out with a final wobble. It felt as though it had happened in slow motion, her body sinking to the ground with a soft _plop_. The crawling feeling increased from her spot on the floor and the midnight haired girl scrambled to cover her face with her hands and the slightly longer sleeves of her cream colored sweater.

 _See? You're a disgrace. You can't even go outside without people laughing at you!_ She couldn't hear any laughter, couldn't bring herself to even look at the other patrons. The feeling of their eyes watching her was all her mind could focus on anyway. To look up would be futile and he knew it. _Everyone knows you're weak, Momo. You couldn't fend me off. You couldn't save yourself and you call yourself a hero? Pathetic! People will die because you're a worthless excuse of a savior._ She whimpered, folding into herself more in a pitiful attempt to hide from his voice. Of course she knew it would never work. He haunted her, after all. An angry, disgusting man who couldn't let his greatest conquest go. Wherever she went, he followed. Even if she tried to sleep, he was always there in her dreams. She could never escape the suffocation of him…

Time faded away from her after a few minutes of staying rooted to the floor. Was Kyouka even still there? She couldn't be sure without removing her hands from her eyes, which she was rather against. What if he was right and people really were laughing at her? His voice drowned out most of the sound but if she looked up to see that… Part of her was afraid of what she would do about that. She knew she didn't want to be like him, vicious and mean, but terror did awful things to people. Maybe a little peak wouldn't hurt…

 _ **No. Don't do it. What if you see him again?**_

"What happened?" Kyouka turned at the voice, offering a small smile at the approaching man. Part of her wanted to laugh at the sight of a flushed Todoroki all but breaking down the door of the tea shop in his haste. Of course they sent him. Why wouldn't they? He was her prince after all, even if she didn't realize it yet.

"I'm - I'm not quite sure to be honest," she sighed, glancing back at the girl in a heap of limbs and tears on the floor. "Something set her off and she freaked out. I think it's a panic attack. Her doctor told me she might have some when I picked her up from the hospital but she didn't really tell me how to help her in this state." He nodded as she spoke, unable to tear his focus away from Momo. She looked so broken in that moment and his heart cracked slightly at the sight.

"I think I can help," he paused to glance back to Kyouka. "If that's alright."

"Of course, do what you do best," she replied with a soft smirk.

Shouto moved closer with slow, steady steps, careful to approach her from in front instead of behind her back. He had a faint memory of this sister doing that as a kid when he had gotten too worked up about their father. She had this gentle look on her face and while he knew he wasn't the softest person around, he could at least try to mirror that. She made sure to not startle him more as well, something that definitely could help this current situation.

"Momo," he murmured, deep voice soft as he gently lowered himself in front of her. "Tell me what's the matter." His words earned a soft whimper in response and he hesitated a moment before continuing to speak.

"Whatever it is," he paused to offer a sympathetic smile. "I know you can overcome it."

She stirred slightly at his words, gunmetal eyes peeking out from the slight spaces between her fingers. Her mind registered his presence with a small jump as she knew he wasn't there before. Was he just a figment of her imagination like the villain? Was he… _**No, he won't hurt you, Momo.**_

"Do you want to breathe with me?" He whispered and curiosity got the better of her. Was he trying to say she didn't know how to breathe? Her hands slowly fell back from her eyes, hovering near the bottom of her cheeks. His smile grew a tiny bit wider at the movement before he took a deep breath in. He held it for no more than three seconds before slowly exhaling and then repeating the motion once more. Part of her recognized the motive behind this breathing exhibition as a way to calm someone and she faintly remembered herself doing this exact thing for a little girl she had saved a few months ago. It had worked rather well for the scared child so perhaps… Perhaps it would work for her.

She mimicked his motions, her chest rising and falling in time with his own. At some point the tingling sensation that crawled across her body faded away. When it had happened she couldn't be sure but gratitude for the regained control of her limbs swelled in her chest. The tears had stopped flowing as well and the only reminder that she had begun to cry was a sniffle every couple of minutes.

"Better?" Shouto questioned. His eyes roamed her face as she began to move, slowly rising to her feet with a slight grimace. Her legs ached and burned at the motion, tired and weary despite her inability to move them no more than ten minutes ago. He followed her lead until he was at his full height once more and gazing slightly down at her.

"Yeah," her voice was hoarse and cracked slightly but she ignored it in favor of speaking once more. "Thank you." The tone was soft, meek almost, but the meaning behind it was there. He had saved her once again. Part of her had an inkling that he always would but that… There are too many feelings attached to that for her to explore the idea more thoroughly. Perhaps when she was trying to sleep after today she would dive into that tangled mess of emotions and unravel it all. For now, she just wanted to go home.

"Anytime," he replied with ease before turning to face the forgotten Kyouka. "Did you want to bring her home? I have a few things to do but they - they can wait." He glanced toward Momo briefly before forcing his eyes to return to her best friend as she began to speak.

"You can walk her," she offered in response. "I should stay, help clean and what not." He didn't miss the wink she sent in Momo's direction but the meaning behind it didn't quite register. Momo, of course, knew it could be one of two things: alone time for her and Todoroki or Kyouka was going to flirt with the waiter more. Regardless, she lightly rolled her eyes and offered a gentle smile in response.

"Alright," he said before clearing his throat and stepping toward the door. "You ready?" He looked back at her over his shoulder with an eyebrow slightly raised.

"Um - Yes," she mumbled.

"I'll see you later, Yaomomo! You better call me when you get home," Kyouka grinned. "I want _all_ the details!"

Momo rolled her eyes once more before nodding. She wanted to hug her, as they always do, but the thought of contact after what had just happened sounded like a little too much for her. Instead she offered a brighter smile and an enthusiastic wave before joining Todoroki's side. A whistle followed them as he opened the door to let her out first, much to his annoyance and Kyouka's ever growing amusement. She didn't pay it much mind, however, as the need to be safe and sound in her apartment once more began to grow.

Perhaps that was why she quickened her pace a little, desperate to be home. It couldn't have been the way her hand brushed against his as they walked side by side or the way the only eyes she could feel were his own mismatched ones. No, it definitely didn't have to do with him or the way his presence gave her a similar feeling that being home did… Right?

Notes ~ here's a longer chapter for you guys! i'm working on increasing the length of my writing so hopefully this isn't too much nonsense or rambles c: i hope you all enjoy~


End file.
